We should be in therapy.

There are a number of significant life events that psychologists say predictably trigger increased stress and anxiety as a person adjusts to new circumstances. Rather than just take one of these events at a time, this year, we decided to really pile them on.

New baby. On February 11, we were blessed with a healthy boy – Ander Dawson Chlarson – who joined our growing family just three days shy of his daddy’s birthday. My parents were in town only 5 hours when they got the call that we were headed to the hospital for delivery. Ander’s arrival brought lots of family visits. Virginia came out from Sacramento within hours. Great aunties Becky and Hazel came out together in April as did my parents who just couldn’t stay away any longer (it had been 2 months, after all!). July 4th, great grandpa Bill and Shirley were visiting friends in N. Cal and met him. We also traveled to Oregon in late March, visiting sister Teresa & Chris in Springfield and cousin Deb in Portland.

Moving. But, alas, our 700-square-foot cottage in San Francisco was just too small to hold the 4 of us. Ander’s crib and belongings were tucked into a corner of the living room and the only room that had any privacy was the bathroom, which was the size of a bread box. How we managed to store 2 moving trucks of stuff in that little place, I’ll never know, but with help from family and friends, we packed it all up and moved to Mesa, Arizona in late July – the hottest time of year. I had lived in San Francisco for 15 years, Shane had been there for 7. The move to Mesa was a cultural and temperature shock (for me… Shane was happy to be “home”). But living in a house with a room for everyone, a garage, and floorspace to spare is heavenly. And the swimming pool down the street helps, too.

The move also allows us to see family more frequently. Since July, we have seen grandparents Chlarson and brother Jerry in Page; cousins John & Tamara in Anthem; greats Hazel & Howard and Bill & Shirley in Prescott; and aunt Jeanette and cousins Barb & Rob here in the Valley. Sister Kim & Brian came for a visit in September and many of those mentioned above made an appearance at the Lake Alamo Thanksgiving campout.

New School. Laurie, who was visiting her folks in Colorado for most of the summer, missed the move and had to adjust when she arrived just a few weeks before school started. She had gone through much transition herself in the last two years, from a small middle school in Mancos, Colorado to her freshman year at a 700-student high school in San Francisco and, now, a 2,400-student high school in Mesa. She took to it like a fish to water though, claiming, within two weeks, that she loved Mesa and was happy about the move (she had been dreading it since the beginning). She has found a group of friends and is enjoying her high school experience as she continues to explore herself. But, boy, as a teenager, she sure keeps us on our toes! Throw Ander in to the mix and we’re headed towards insanity!

New Jobs. Both Shane and I have found new work. Shane is hauling fuel and has a schedule that allows him to pick up Ander from daycare, be home in the evenings and share Saturdays with us. This is a blessing since most new drivers are relegated to evening and weekend shifts. I found a communications/writing job with the Arizona State University Foundation, the fundraising arm of the university, and am enjoying my new job.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To all of you who live in our hearts, though you might be miles away, we send you our love.

Why we don't let Laurie watch Ander, in jest... kind of.

So there Laurie is, sitting in the easy chair working on her sister's Christmas present (a beautiful blue crocheted blanket) and chatting with me. As we talk, I grab the camera as I see Ander begin to climb up on the table near his toys, which was moved there to make space for the Christmas tree.




He climbs on the first level, then to the second and sits there a while, reading a book.





He then realizes he can get even higher and pulls himself up to peek over the kitchen counter. Noticing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus on the corner, he begins to move over to the edge of the table which is when I bring him to Laurie's attention...

Baby's first Christmas

With Laurie in Colorado, the camera was trained mostly on Ander during Christmas. Here is an assortment of photos taken this season.

Elmo peeks out of Ander's Christmas stocking, taunting him, since Ander couldn't reach his stocking due to the gate protecting daddy's stereo equipment and TV.


The first Noel... Ander climbs into the shower to investigate


Aunt Jeanette came over Christmas eve. She gave Ander a musical table that lets him stand and push, pull, turn, open and close all kinds of things including a piano, trombone, banjo, and cello. It sings songs, the ABCs and 123s. And he can push it across the floor, helping him walk. A winner all the way around!


And leave it to grandma and grandpa to give him a dirt-hauler and building supplies. You can see his first bike in the background from dad.


Grandma added a soft element, though, with the teddy bear.

'tis the season for family

On December 23, family from around the state gathered at our home for a few hours to exchange gifts and watch Ander open and play with them. We dined -- more like grazed on lots of nibbles -- and chatted and had a relaxed time, remembering to take a group photo before we called it a day (thanks to Shane who knew how to operate the camera's timing mechanism). It was a nice gathering that Howard called "the beginning of a tradition."

Laurie is absent from this photo, leaving a few days prior to spend Christmas with her parents in Colorado.

Here Howard and Jeanette test some essential oils she received.

And Ander gets a horsey ride.

I love Santa

We were all interested in getting on Santa's good side this season with the "I love Santa" hat getting used by all of us (Laurie is wearing it in the Santa photo).

Christmas preparations

We invited friends over to help us put up the tree and decorate it. It all went well until we stepped back and saw that it was tilting. Shane got up next to it, leaned the direction the tree was leaning and said, "what's the problem?"

After some configuring and grumbling, we got it straightened out and the final result is below: